Miami Man Pleads Guilty to Hacking IRS Computers, DOJ Says

Florida man admits to unlawfully downloading tax return transcripts from IRS

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA — Ludrick Joseph, of Miami, Florida, has admitted to downloading taxpayer transcripts by unlawfully accessing Internal Revenue Service computers, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Joseph, age 38, pled guilty this week to a one-count information charging him with “Accessing a Computer and Obtaining Information.” Joseph admitted to fraudulently accessing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) eAuthentication online taxpayer system, which has servers located in Berkeley County, in April 2015. In order to pass IRS security protocols, Joseph unlawfully obtained the Electronic Filing Pin (EFP) for a taxpayer which allowed him access into the eAuthentication system. Once in the IRS eAuthentication system, Joseph fraudulently gained access to eight different tax return transcripts of an individual taxpayer. The tax return transcripts contained the taxpayer's date of birth, social security number, and gross income, among other sensitive information.

Joseph faces up to five years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn M. Adkins is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration Cybercrime Investigations Division investigated.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.